


You'll never know unless you try

by neela



Category: Murder Call (TV)
Genre: Agony, Attempt at Humor, Drunken Confessions, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Workplace Relationship, secret kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-01
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-09-14 00:18:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9148456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neela/pseuds/neela
Summary: How many times hadn’t she wanted to buck up and capture those lips of his, just to try it out, to see if what she felt was real? Not simply attraction, but something more?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. They belong to Jennifer Rowe, Hal McElroy and Southern Star. I make no profit out of this.

**Prompt:**  080. Why?

* * *

As a police officer, she knew she was doing something without his consent. She knew that in extreme cases, it could be construed as an invasion of privacy at best, sexual harassment at worst. It didn’t stop her from giving in, though. Just a brief, sweet touch of her lips on his, and then flinching back as if everything was on fire.

  
On the couch, Steve didn’t stir, just slumbering on.  
  
In a way, it disappointed her. Maybe the hopeless romantic in her, the one growing simultaneously more scared and cynical every day. If she’d come clean about how she felt from the start of their friendship, she wouldn’t have come to this point. She’d have been braver, idealistic, and in all likelihood hopelessly naïve.  
  
But she’d made her choice back then, and she’d kept making it every day since as their awkward and sometimes hostile partnership developed into a true, wholesome friendship. She’d stood by while he went on dates and had girlfriends, too scared to protest, convincing herself that he didn’t see her that way at all.  
  
Well, she saw him that way. Tessa touched her lips, which seemed to burn at the momentary touch from earlier, tingling in both exhilaration and torment. How many times hadn’t she wanted to buck up and capture those lips of his, just to try it out, to see if what she felt was real? Not simply attraction, but something _more_?  
  
So why couldn’t she do it unless she’d come to the end of her ropes with loneliness and he was passed out on the couch after a night of too much to drink?  
  
 _God, you’re so stupid._  
  
Tessa felt an ugly stab in the pit of her stomach and her cheeks flared hotly in self-directed anger and embarrassment. Disgusted with herself, she turned on the spot, picked up her coat, and walked right out of Steve’s house into the hot summer air outside.  
  
Back in the house, Steve opened his eyes and stared into the darkness.  
  


* * *

  
Tessa didn’t sleep that night. Conflicted, she’d tossed and turned, wracking her brain for answers she wasn’t able to give. Even if it was the Saturday and the first of two rostered days off, getting another murder call later that day was close to relief. It gave her something else to think about.  
  
So when she faced Steve again at the crime scene, which was located outside an apartment complex, she was able to act normally. “Hey. What’s the story?”  
  
“Manslaughter, by the looks of it.” Steve turned his head and nodded towards someone standing outside the crime scene tape being detained by uniformed police. “Mr Rivers admits to getting into an argument with this guy,” he pointed to the victim being examined by Tootsie, “and pushing him off his balcony. Apartment’s up on the fourth floor. The daughter apparently witnessed the whole thing, but she’s too catatonic to say anything yet.”  
  
“Right.” Already, Tessa could feel her mind get into a familiar zone, her attention ignoring anything that wasn’t clearly related to the case. “And what’s Mr Rivers’ relationship with our victim?”  
  
As Steve gave her the details he’d gained so far, Tessa listened and allowed her mind to start making connections, formulating questions, and finding multiple alternatives to what seemed an open-and-shut case. After all, you never knew if things were as cut and dried as they seemed.  
  
“Okay,” she said after also getting Tootsie’s initial thoughts on the victim’s physical state. “Do you want to get started on the door-to-door?”  
  
“Yep.” Hands in his pockets, Steve turned and they fell in step with each other as they entered the apartment complex.  
  
Although silence descended on them, Tessa didn’t really notice anything out of the ordinary while they waited for the elevator to take them up to the fifth floor. Her mind was too wrapped up in the new case.  
  
So when Steve suddenly broke the silence, she almost jumped out of her skin. “Were you the unlucky guy getting me home last night?”  
  
There was a slight tease in his voice, enough to ward off most of the immediate tension in Tessa’s neck. Even so, it took a moment for her to respond, and she was grateful when the elevator doors opened and allowed her a few seconds to think.  
  
“Um, yes, I was.” As they stepped into the elevator, Tessa tried but couldn’t quite meet his gaze. The sudden reminder was bringing up all those ugly, despicable feelings she’d tried to suppress all day.  
  
Leaning against the wall, Steve didn’t seem to notice. He just gave her a sheepish sort of smile. “Sorry about that. Had a bit much, I think.”  
  
“No worries.” Tessa managed a small smile and met his gaze briefly when the elevator lurched to a stop. “That’s what friends are for, right?”  
  
There was a pause, a shift in his eyes, nearly microscopic, but enough to make her red alert cue in.  
  
Before she could react, though, the elevator doors sprung open and Steve had given her another smile. “Yeah, thanks.”  
  
Then, with no further ado, Steve exited and immediately addressed Fisk, who stood outside the murderer’s apartment.  
  
Tessa stared at his back with a sudden, rising sensation of nausea.

* * *

  
It was as if he knew, but he couldn’t. Right? He hadn’t reacted at the time. Hadn’t seemed conscious at all, even snoring a bit.  
  
And yet, all day for the next week, Tessa had felt as if his eyes were drilling a hole in the back of her neck whenever she looked the other way.  
  
Oh, he’d still joked around. They both had. And they’d gone about their work and the current case with all the familiar routines: complaining about meaningless murders, following her leaps of faiths, agreeing that they wouldn’t ever fully understand how people could do the things they did. There’d been jokes with Dee, mutters about Thorne, scientific mumble-jumble with Fisk, and getting the usual too-insightful-for-her-own-good remarks from Tootsie.  
  
All in all, it seemed like nothing had changed, but of course it had.  
  
Tessa knew what she’d done – was cursed with the burden of knowledge – and her sleepless nights had grown longer and more tormented as the week passed. She knew she was probably paranoid thinking that Steve somehow knew what she’d done, and that she was reading too much into his actions. If she just took a step back, she could see he wasn’t acting so differently at all.  
  
So why couldn’t she drive that nagging feeling – that  _hunch_  – away?  
  
“You coming?” Steve stood next to her desk, peering down at her with his familiar inquisitiveness. When she didn’t make an immediate motion to follow, he added lightly, “Fisk’s buying.”  
  
“Um…” Tessa fought down a blush at the sparkle in his gaze and looked down at her computer where the half-finished draft of her early post-case report stared back at her. She somehow found her voice, much like she had all week. “Maybe not tonight. I’d like to get this finished before the weekend. Don’t want to come in on another Saturday.”  
  
“You sure?”  
  
His pause made her tense. The norm was that he’d tease her about being a workaholic or find some way to persuade her into coming anyway because he knew it did her good to unwind with the rest of them. Now, though, he seemed almost uncertain – the first definite sign that something  _had_ changed and it wasn’t just her imagination.  
  
 _Doesn’t mean he knows,_  her mind told her as she half began to panic.  _Could just be he’s picked up on your mood this week and he’s worried and doesn’t quite know what to do._  
  
“I’m sure.” Tessa tried to smile, but she found herself a little flustered and probably should’ve held his gaze longer in order to sound convincing. He didn’t call her out on it, though.  
  
Instead, he just touched her shoulder lightly and said, “All right. Don’t work yourself too hard, though, Tess. Good night.”  
  
The touch seared through her, making her blush harder than before, and she was glad he couldn’t quite see it from where he stood. Half holding her breath, she managed a more or less even “Good night” in return, and exhaled in relief once she heard his footsteps disappear out the glass doors.  
  
As soon as the doors closed, she almost collapsed in her chair. It felt as if she’d run a mile, and the lingering tension was quickly turning into a headache. With a groan, she leaned forward on her elbows and rubbed her temples to ward off some of it.  
  
 _Well, if he didn’t know something was up before, he certainly knows it now._  Tessa cursed inwardly and sat back up, glancing back at the glass doors and the empty corridor outside Central Homicide. Inside her mind, her inner voice took on Tootsie’s knowing intonation.  _You should’ve come clean, Tessa. This is only going to get worse. You know that._  
  
 _Yes, I know…_  Tessa bit her lip, feeling a hollow ache rise inside her chest. _But I don’t know how to tell him. ‘Steve, did you know I kissed you while you were sleeping? I’m sorry about that. I just wanted to know what it felt like… Also, I want to do it again while you’re awake. Do you?’_  
  
A humourless, dark snort escaped her.  _Yeah, that’s probably going to go over well…_  
  
Tootsie’s voice turned amused.  _You’ll never know unless you try._

* * *

  
Standing in the doorway of the bar whilst scouting for the others, Tessa wondered if maybe she had a death wish. She certainly liked to torment herself, having spent the entire hour it took to finish her report – and misspelling worse than a fifth grader – agonising over how she’d handled Steve’s departure. In the end, she’d decided to try and salvage things by joining the others and hopefully deflecting some of the suspicions she was sure Steve might have about her recent behaviour.  
  
Judging by the friendly, surprised smiles and hand-waving from their friends, maybe it’d work. Even so, Tessa felt tense and awkward as she made her way through the crowded Friday night bar to the table where Fisk and Tootsie sat sipping their glasses of Shiraz. Steve and Dee, she noticed, were off by the pool table.  
  
As soon as she entered his field of sight, though, Steve’s gaze seemed to hone in on her immediately. He gave her a nod while he drained the bottle of beer in his hand, then turned his attention to Dee and her familiar jeers about his pool skills.  
  
The lack of his usual smile worried her, but Tessa didn’t have time to ponder it as Tootsie more or less pushed her onto a chair and went off to get her something to drink.  
  
When the pathologist came back with a glass of red wine, Tessa quickly protested. “No, no, thank you. I’m driving, Toots.”  
  
“Don’t worry, we can share a cab.” Lips spread wide in a comforting smile, Tootsie set the drink firmly in front of her. “You look like you need this. Rough week?”  
  
Normally, Tessa would have argued, but she felt somehow deflated by Steve’s reaction and guilty about how she’d clearly upset the status quo with her actions this past week. Tootsie was only speaking the truth and she had to admit, the allure of drinking away her sorrows was far too tempting.  
  
“What gave it away?” Tessa asked with a weak smile as she reluctantly picked up the drink and began to sip it. The heat of the rich wine trickled down her throat and into her stomach, churning along with the already unsettled feelings coiling there. As the heat spread, she felt the tension release ever so slightly, and she took a bigger mouthful, sighing.  
  
“Looking like something the cat dragged in for one.” Sharing an amused gaze with Fisk, Tootsie chuckled. “But I guess I just know you too well, Tessa.”  
  
 _Well, given that your voice has started to show up in my mind, I guess you do._  
  
Tessa managed a small, honest smirk. Perhaps coming here wasn’t a mistake. If she played her cards right, she could play this off as simply her reacting to the case or just plainly having a bad week. After all, they all had them from time to time.  
  
“Hey. You made it.”  
  
 _Or maybe not._  
  
Heart skipping a few beats, Tessa looked up and met Steve’s gaze as he took off his suit jacket and tie and left both items on the chair next to hers. “Hey. Yes. The report didn’t take as long as I’d thought.”  
  
 _He knows that. It was a lame excuse._  Which was probably why Steve’s smile seemed kind of patronising.  
  
“Dee wanted me to ask if you were up for a game after.”  
  
“Um, okay.” Tessa felt she had no other choice, not if she wanted to try to appear as if nothing had changed between them, especially with the others around to see.  
  
“Great.” With all the air of performing some perfunctory task, Steve nodded and rolled up his shirt sleeves, before leaving with a neutral, “I’ll let you know when we’re done with this one.”  
  
Tessa watched him walk away, buy another beer, and return to the pool table with a twisting sensation in her stomach. Whether to build up her courage or just have something to do besides gawking at him and giving herself away, she delved into her wine.  
  
In hindsight, it probably wasn’t a good idea.

* * *

  
The headache was suppressed beneath the headiness of the wine, and as Tessa lined up her shot, she could feel Steve’s presence nearby like a roaring fireplace enveloping her in exquisite warmth. It was hard to focus, hard to keep up appearances, especially as the wine eventually did what it always did: make her emotions all wired up.  
  
“Are you gonna take the shot or what?” From across the pool table, Dee shifted impatiently on her feet, waving her bottle of beer. “It’s pool, Tessa, not an interrogation room. The ball’s not going to cave in the longer you stare at it.”  
  
Tessa rolled her eyes and made the shot, predictably missing her target entirely. Dee whooped and immediately got her own cue ready. The humiliation was complete a minute after when the constable downed the last ball in a corner pocket.  
  
“That’s another round you owe me,” Dee teased and got down to find the plastic triangle to put the billiard balls in; once she got into a winning streak, she never seemed able to stop. “Double or nothing?”  
  
“I think I’ll pass,” Tessa said, smiling a little, and lay the cue onto the pool table. In the corner of her eye, she noticed Steve come closer and she subconsciously began to back away. “Besides, I need to visit the Ladies’ room. Rain check, okay?”  
  
“All right.”  
  
Not one to be deterred, Dee immediately swung around on Steve, but Tessa didn’t stick around to hear how that challenge went.  
  
Instead, she half-ran to the ladies’ toilet, grateful there wasn’t a line, and spent the next few minutes trying to cool herself down. She  _did_  have to pee, of course, but mostly she’d needed to get away. Tessa didn’t know if it was the wine or her ongoing paranoia, but she’d felt as if Steve couldn’t take his eyes off her and that had bothered her.  
  
 _I shouldn’t have done it,_ she told herself for the umpteenth time as she stared at her flushed, teary-eyed reflection in the mirror.  _I’ve messed up._  
  
 _Well, you shouldn’t hole yourself up in here. It looks suspicious. Just go out there, order a cab, and go home. You’ve got a headache. You’re not just making up some lame excuse anymore._  
  
Tessa sighed, splashed some cold water on her face, and dried it with a paper towel. Inhaling deeply, slowing her racing pulse, she straightened and walked purposefully out of the toilet.  
  
And stopped.  
  
Leaning against the opposite wall, secluded from the rest of the bar, was Steve. He was looking down at the floor when she exited and didn’t immediately raise his head. When he did, Tessa felt as if all the air was squeezed out of her.  
  
Those bottomless, dark eyes  _knew_. There was no paranoia. No mistake. As strong as her hunches for the case, her instincts were screaming at her that she’d been busted.  
  
 _He can’t know! He was asleep!_  
  
“Um, hey,” she said in an effort to cover her panic, her feet restless and screaming at her to get away. “You standing in line?”  
  
“No,” Steve said simply as he pushed off the wall and then stood staring at her like he’d done all night: as if he was trying to figure something out. “I wanted to ask you something about last week.”  
  
If she tried to get away, he’d definitely know. So Tessa feigned innocence. “Oh? What about it?”  
  
“Why’d you kiss me?”  
  
No preamble. No beating around the bush. She shouldn’t be surprised, but she was stunned. Speechless, Tessa tried to get her lungs working, but nothing was able to get out; the words got stuck in her throat. By the time she finally managed a weak “I did?”, she knew she’d given herself away.  
  
“Tess…” Steve’s eyebrows knitted together, his arms crossing in front of him, and she could see him prepare his attack – the gentle let-down, the explanation that he liked her as a friend, nothing more.  
  
She couldn’t cope with that and started babbling nervously. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done it. It was such a stupid mistake: you were asleep and I wasn’t thinking straight, and I should’ve—” Tessa stopped, covering her face in her hands, groaning. “I’m so sorry, Steve. It won’t happen again.”  
  
He didn’t respond. He just stood there with that look in his eyes as if still trying to figure her out, and Tessa, desperate now, felt tears begin to well up.  
  
“I messed up,” she said weakly, wanting to touch him in apology but unable to. “I’m sorry.”  
  
“Tess, I didn’t mind it.” Steve let his arms relax a fraction, even as his jaw tightened somewhat and his gaze changed from penetrating to hesitating. “I thought I did at first, but…”  
  
For the second time, Tessa felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. The implication didn’t register at first, too impossible to even consider, but when it did, her eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open.  
  
 _He liked it._  
  
Every muscle in her body tensed, enflamed by the atmosphere, and more so when Steve reached out to lightly grasp her elbows.  
  
“Steve?”  
  
His name sounded so strangled in her throat, but no other words would come out. She only stared at him, dumbfounded, while he gravitated towards her, his eyebrows still furrowed as if he wasn’t even sure himself of what he was doing.  
  
“What’re you…?”  
  
The question disappeared into the gentle brush of his lips against hers. Tessa stood frozen, unresponsive, shocked until he tensed too and began to pull away.  
  
That’s when her mind kicked back into gear and she grabbed hold of his shirt and kissed him back. Nothing possessive, even if she wanted to. A part of her brain still functioning was yelling at her to not do anything to break this moment; that Steve kissing her might be a way for him to confirm something, just like her initial kiss had been for her. So despite her body being on fire, despite all the blood in her veins rushing to somewhere that wasn’t her brain, she kept it sweet and only allowed herself a small, affirmative sigh.  
  
It could have been moments or hours. All Tessa knew as they pulled apart was that she was too scared to open her eyes. She didn’t want the bubble to burst, to see that he wasn’t as affected by this as she was.  
  
“Tess…”  
  
The softness of his voice and the gentle caress of his palm across her cheek made her look at him, though. Their gazes met and Tessa held her breath, her lower lip trembling, her eyes teary and her heart pounding.  
  
Steve just smiled and kissed her again.

* * *

Dee was just supposed to take a leak. As she rounded the standalone wall shielding the toilets from the rest of the bar, though, she stopped in her tracks, eyes boggled.  
  
Tessa and Steve noticed her at once and stood equally frozen, arms still entangled in each other, their faces flushed and their lips clearly thoroughly snogged.  
  
“Um…” Dee didn’t quite know what to say, but she guessed the shit-eating grin spreading across her face said enough. “I’ll just come back again, shall I?”  
  
If any words could break those two apart, those appeared to be it. Flustered, Tessa and Steve practically jumped away from each other, but Dee didn’t stick around. Instead, she made a beeline for the table where Tootsie and Fisk sat conversing, and only turned to see whether the two detectives were following.  
  
Tessa was, in any case, and with a desperately pleading look to _not tell_.  
  
“Constable?” Fisk’s perturbed tone made her break out of her reverie and Dee looked at him. “Something wrong?”  
  
Dee grinned widely, catching Tessa’s eyes again briefly before picking up the beer she’d left at the table earlier. “Nope. Nothing at all.”  
  
Coming to a stop next to their table, Tessa blushed heavily and began to pick up her handbag.  
  
“You leaving already?” Tootsie gave a little pout. “It isn’t even nine yet.”  
  
“I don’t really feel so well. I’ve got a headache,” Tessa said in way of apology, her eyes shining brightly as if she was close to tears.  
  
 _As if!_ Dee grinned again, looking back to see that Steve had slunk out of his seclusion and was approaching them at a much slower, seemingly relaxed pace. Compared to Tessa, his demeanour didn’t give away anything. The guy was a cool customer.  
  
“Maybe another drink’ll help,” Dee offered, unable to keep the tease out of her voice. “I’ve got some paracetamol if you want.”  
  
“Thank you, but I really think I should get home.” Tessa slung the handbag around her shoulder and cast a glance back at Steve before turning away almost just as suddenly. “I’ll see you all on Monday.”  
  
As Tessa scurried off and Steve finally reached the table, hands in his pockets, Fisk and Tootsie looked slightly bewildered.  
  
“Is she really okay?” Tootsie asked Steve in concern. “Has she said what’s been bothering her this past week?”  
  
With an air of ignorance that impressed Dee, Steve shrugged. “No.”  
  
“Maybe it’s something she needs to get off her chest,” Dee suggested and took a sip of her beer with all too innocent eyes. “You gonna follow her? Make sure she gets home all right?”  
  
If looks could kill without looking too obvious, Steve’s was a match. “She’s a big girl, Dee.”  
  
It wasn’t really an answer, so Dee couldn’t help another grin. Although, this time she  _did_  try to hide it behind her beer bottle. “All right, mate. Don’t shoot the messenger. I was just worried about her, and I know how close you two are.”  
  
Steve looked tempted to clench his jaw, but he clearly refrained and instead drained the last of his beer and picked up his discarded jacket and tie. “Well, I’m sure she’ll be all right.”  
  
 _I bet she will._ Dee smirked. _I know how to read body language too, Steve. You’re up to something._

* * *

  
“Tess!”  
  
Given all that’d happened, she shouldn’t be surprised he’d followed her. Even so, Tessa wasn’t sure she wanted to see him right now. She didn’t know what to say, how to react; everything was just  _too much_  at the moment. So she kept striding down the sidewalk, eyes constantly on the lookout for a cab.  
  
He was just faster than her, catching hold of her elbow. “Tess, please stop.”  
  
Tessa whirled around, flinging his arm off automatically, tears burning on her cheeks. “Why? So you can toy with me some more?”  
  
“What? No!” Steve grimaced and came to a stop, his arms held up in that please-calm-down fashion he used during interviews. It infuriated her. “I just wanted to talk.”  
  
“Talk?” Tessa felt hysterical as the word spat out of her mouth. “That wasn’t  _talking_ , Steve. That was as far away as you can get from—”  
  
“ _Tessa_!” He looked shocked, his eyes narrowing as if he couldn’t believe what had gotten into her. Well, she didn’t know either. She just knew her emotions were too close to the surface, too wired up from the wine, the past week, and her lack of sleep. “Honestly, I just want to _talk_.”  
  
Somehow, his plea went through. Tessa bit back her next retort, her chest heaving and her mind caught up in a million possibilities.  
  
“Could we…” Looking around at the busy street they were in, Steve lowered his hands and his voice. “…do this somewhere else?”  
  
Tessa blinked her eyes. As if suddenly noticing their surroundings for the first time, she blushed deeply and ran through every possible answer to that question. Going back to the bar was out of the question, and going to one of their places wasn’t an option either.  
  
“Office,” she said shakily.

* * *

  
Tessa paced around the viewing room like a trapped, terrified animal. If he wasn’t so confused and conflicted about this whole situation, Steve would have put his hand on her shoulder and tried to sit her down. As it were, he could only stare at her from where he leaned against the table, his arms crossed, waiting for one of them to take the first step.  
  
It quickly became apparent that it wouldn’t be her.  
  
“Tess…” he began and she practically froze, her back tense, only barely able to meet his gaze. “I like you.”  
  
There, out in the open. The words had never been spoken in their three years as partners, but they’d always been there, at least on his part. Ever since they first partnered up on the Fairview serial murders. And now that they were out, he found himself…relieved, somehow. It hadn’t been something he’d thought about a lot, but he’d had a lot of time to think this past week. Tonight had only confirmed it.  
  
He liked Tessa. Not just as a partner, not just as a friend, and not just someone he found himself attracted to – he really liked  _her_. It was as simple as that.  
  
“You…like me.” Tessa’s eyebrows rose, her eyes wide in obvious disbelief.  
  
“Yes,” Steve nodded.  
  
A nervous twitch that could’ve been a smile crossed Tessa’s face. “You mean as a friend?”  
  
It was almost laughable, except Steve didn’t find it funny. There was something so inherently vulnerable about the way her hesitance shone through every fibre of her being, as if she couldn’t believe him no matter how many times he said it. As if she was starved for affection, for attention, for companionship, so that when the offer finally came, she resisted.  
  
It made his gut twist uncomfortably, and something warm spread in his chest. A rush of affection, maybe. Not pity. _Never_  pity. Tessa was the strongest woman he knew. Headstrong, too, which he was blatantly exposed to now. He’d always thought they’d needed each other because of that, though. She pulled him off the ground and he pulled her down. Somewhere in the middle of that push-and-pull, whatever they had together worked.  
  
“No, not as a friend.” Steve let his hands fall down to grasp the edges of the table, his gaze firmly settled on hers, not letting her feed her imagination with more wild ideas. “Not as a partner, either. I like  _you_ , Tess.”  
  
Tessa blinked her eyes and something in her posture sagged slightly. For a long while, she just stared at him, her beautiful blue orbs filling with tears once more, but more subdued than before.  
  
“I like you too,” she said eventually. Her voice was barely louder than a whisper; it was hitching slightly, almost at the breaking point.  
  
Steve felt his spine and fingers relax, and he finally smiled. “All right then.”  
  
A nervous chuckle escaped past Tessa’s lips and then she suddenly covered her face in her palms, sobbing. Steve rose to his feet, crossed the distance between them, and finally gathered her into the hug he’d wanted to give her all week.  
  
She barely resisted, instead sinking into his hold in a way she’d only done once before – after one of her brushes with death. Feeling a swell of emotions, Steve tightened his arms around her, running his hand through her hair, muttering words of comfort beneath his breath.  
  
He didn’t know how long they stood there, just that when it came to an end, he brushed the hair out of her eyes and cradled her head in his hands so that she looked up at him. It felt electric, that sensation in the air, and like he’d done earlier that night, Steve gravitated towards her and captured her lips with his.  
  
It was a slow kiss meant more for comfort and confirmation than desire and Tessa responded without hesitance, making Steve smile.  
  
“What?” She asked and pulled back just enough to meet his gaze again, her eyes red-shot but beautiful.  
  
“This feels right,” Steve said simply, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. “I don’t know why we haven’t done it before.”  
  
Tessa smiled, a depth in her eyes that floored him. “Me neither.”  
  
And she pulled him close for another kiss.

* * *

  
By all means, Dee could guess why she’d been promptly herded into the viewing room the second she stepped foot into Central Homicide on Monday. Steve closing the door behind him and Tessa was only confirmation of the fact.  
  
“Dee, what you saw on Friday…” Tessa began, but stopped when Dee held up her hand.  
  
“If you’re talking about the biggest piece of gossip I’ve encountered in the four years I’ve been here…” Pausing for effect, Dee grinned. “I didn’t see a thing.”  
  
The relief was visible on Tessa’s face, and even Steve looked less tense than before.  
  
“In return, however,” Dee continued, grinning like the Cheshire Cat, “I’d like to get a heads-up whenever you guys decide to go public with this. There’s a betting pool I’d like to win.”  
  
Steve frowned. “A  _what_?”  
  
Tessa was much quicker on the uptake, her mouth gaping. “You’re kidding! People have betted on whether Steve and I—” Apparently, the reality was too difficult to face and she cut off mid-sentence.  
  
Dee saved them the trouble. “Yep. It’s been going on for years. We’d nearly given up on you two. Glad to see you finally opened up your eyes.” Making good use of the opportunity their surprise had warranted, Dee made for the door, and gave Steve a good-natured punch in the arm. “Well done, you guys. Don’t forget that heads-up, okay?”  
  
She was out the door, laughing, before either of them could stop her. She decided not to stick around, instead leaving Fisk’s report on Tessa’s desk, and made her escape gleefully before she could be yanked back into the viewing room and interrogated thoroughly on who else was involved in the bet.  
  
 _Really_ , they had to be the slowest and blindest couple of people on the whole planet. Even Fisk seemed to think so.  
  
He’d bet 20 dollars.  
  
 **FIN**


End file.
